Teacher rapes 14-year-old pupil

Sheillah Mapani Herald Reporter
The trial date for a Chinamhora secondary school teacher in Domboshava who raped a 14-year-old pupil has been set on October 25. Collen Mangwiro (42) appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Josephine Sande yesterday facing charges of rape. Prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that in April this year, the complainant came to stay with Mangwiro as they were related. It is the State’s case that sometime in May this year, Mangwiro was marking books while the complainant was reading in the same room.

He allegedly wrote a note proposing love to her, but she turned it down, indicating that they were related. The court heard that during the same month, on a date the complainant does not recall, Mangwiro, who conveniently took advantage that they were alone, entered her bedroom during the night. He allegedly closed the door and ordered the complainant to keep quiet before forcefully removing her clothes and raping her. Mangwiro is also accused of raping the girl several times after the incident.

The matter came to light on September 6 when the complainant went home to Mabvuku to pick up some of her clothes. While home, she visited an apostolic shrine to seek an interpretation about a dream that was troubling her, to which a prophet at the shrine told her it was because she was sexually abused. She opened up to the prophet about her ordeal and the two subsequently reported the matter to the police.